meacock



'(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J'. RIGG 8u T. MEAGOCK.

TAP 0R VALVE.

No. 430,689. Patented June Z4, 1.890.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. RIGG & T. MEACOGK.

TAP 0R VALVE.

No. 430,689. l I ateneci June 24, 1890.

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I h f Wsw" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

-JAMES'RIGGB OF LONDON, AND THOMAS MEAOOOK, OF BIRMINGHAM,

ENGLAND. y

TAP OR SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,689, dated June 24, 1890.

Application filed January 6, 1890. Serial No. 336,113.

ments in Taps or Valves, (for which we obtained Letters Patent of Great Britain, No. 8,196, of .I une 5, 1888,) of which the following is a specification. A

This invention relates to that class of valves, taps, and the like which are intended to au- .tomatically close after having been opened for the drawing off ot' water or other liquid, and has for its object to so construct them4 that their actionin closing shall be slow and gradual, so as to prevent concussion or re- .y

action in the supply-pipes as is generally eX- perienced when a draw-off cock as ordinarily constructed is Vsuddenly closed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures l and 2 are longitudinal sections of a valve or tap constructed according to this invention, Fig. l representing it closed and Fig. 2 open, the valve or tap there illustrated being one opened by the pushing in of the valve-spin: dle. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line c b of Fig. l. Figs. 4 and 5 are views, respectively, corresponding with Figs. l and 2; and Fig. 6 is a section on the line c d of Fig. 5 of another valve or tap constructed according to this invention, the opening of which is eiected by the pulling out of the valvespindle. x p

Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

For convenienceof description each of the taps or valves shown in the accompanying drawings will be hereinafter referred to as av tap-:n

With reference to Figs. l, 2, and 3, A is the body or casing, on one end of which is screwed the boss A', by which the tap is secured to the supply-pipe, and on the other end is iitted the cap A2.

' A3 is the outlet or nozzle which leads from the interior of the casing A. Between the parts A and A is provided the leather or Nomodel.) Patented in England .Tune 5, 1888, No. 8,196.

making tight joints at those parts. Upon the hatpacking A5 we may place a Yplain washer or other packing. The packingA5 is of IL-shaped section, to prevent leakage around the spindle B, where it passes through the cap A2.

A6 in the casing A and is of such inter-nal diameter as to permitjthe pressure of the liquid to act upon the packing A5, so as to keep it tight around the spindle B.

l B is a collar or annular projection formed or iitted upon the spindle B, and B2 isI a longitudinal passage extending from the rear end of the spindle B toward the fron-t, and with which connects a small tributary passage B3, preferably just at the front side of the collar B.

O is a cup-leather passed over the rear end of the spindle B and held in position between the collar B and the front flange D of the double-hanged sleeve D, which is bored to fit snugly over the spindle B, and both the flanges D and D201? which fit into the casing A, so that they may easily be moved in a longitudinal direction therein, and yet not allow the liquid to pass around them. The collar B', cup-leather C, and flange D", as a whole, are, for convenience, hereinafter referred to as the piston C, both in the tap shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3, as well as that shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6.

O is a second cup-leather, which ifs held against the flange D2 by means of the nut B4, which is screwed or otherwise suitably secured on the rear end of the spindle B, and between which and the inner side of the cupl'eather O is left space sufficient to allow of the pressure of the liquid acting on the said cup-leather to force it against the wall of the casing A, and thus prevent the liquid flowing past it. A similar provision is made by forming the collarB of such external diameter as to allow the liquid to have access to the inner side of the cup-leather C. The collar B4, cup-leather C', and flange D2, as a whole, are, for convenience, hereinafter referred to as thevalve C', both as regards the tap shown equivalent washer A4, and betweentlie parts A and A2 is the hat or other packing AG for in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and 4, 5, and G.

A7 are' channels formed in the rear or en- G is a collar, which fits against a shoulder larged portion A8 of the casing A for the passage of the liquid around the valve C to the outlet A3 when the valve is opened.

E is`a spring, which at one end bears against the inwardly-projecting iiange A0 and at the' other end against the valveC with force suficient to overcome the necessary friction of the packings. The tap closes automatically under ordinary pressures, as will be described hereinafter, and this spring E is only required to overcome the necessary friction of the packings on occasions when there may be either no Water in the supply-pipe or water at an extremely low pressure.

B5 is aknob or handle screwed or otherwise suitably secured upon the forward end of the spindle B. l-t will thus be seenl'that the construction is such that between the piston C and the front end of the tap is formed a chamber A10, herein termed the cataractchamber, to which the liquid has access through the passages B2 B3 for the` purpose of retarding the closing action. B6 is a perforated or wire-cloth grating, secured to the inner end of the spindle Bto prevent the passage of sand, grit, or foreign matter into the passages B2 and B3.

The various parts of the tap being in the positions in which they are represented in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the action of the tap may be described as follows: The person desiring to draw off water pushes the knob B5, and thus moves the valve C from the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1, where it is surrounded by the undivided wall ofthe casing A, and where no liquid could in consequence pass around it to the outlet or nozzle'AS, to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 2, where it is 4partly surrounded by the channels A'T. The water will thus have free access through the channels A7 and4 around the valve C to the interior` of the casing, and consequently tothe outlet A3, as indicated by the arrows. When' it is desired to close the Valve, the person withdraws the pressure from the knob B5, which, together with the spindle-B and its connected parts, is moved forward under the influence of the pressure acting on the greater area of the valve C', being greater than that acting on the lesser area of Jthe piston Crwithin the lcataract-chamber A10.

Y the supply-pipe, and thus not only automatically closing itself, but avoiding the concussion referred to.

f Figs. 4. 5, and 6 illustrate our invention as' applied to a pull form of tap, and where appropriate letters corresponding with the descriptionof our push form of tap have been adopted. In these figures, the collar G', corresponding with the collar G in Figs. l and 2, supports the leather or equivalent packing A5 on one side, while on the other side the said packing is pressed upon by the cover A2. In this einzample, however, the collar G differs from the before-mentioned collar G in so far that it is provided with a projecting sleeve G2, which s'erves to limit the extent to y which the valve-spindle B may be pulled outward, as is shown in Fig. 5. Besides this the present construction differs in the relative location of the valve C', which here fits into the boss A when in its closed position, as shown in Fig. 4,-and when in its open position, as shown in Fig. 5, iits in the part surrounded by the channels A1. The packings C and C are held against the surfaces' of the casing A and boss A by the pressure of water acting upon their inner sides, as previpassage to the outlet A3, as shown by the arrows in Fig 5. When it is desired that the valve shall close, the knob B5 is released, and the greater pressure in this instance acting upon the piston C within the cataract-chamber A10 overcomes the lesser pressure acting upon the valve C', thus causing the spindle to again assume the position shown in Fig. 4.

I t will be observed that the spring previously described` as required in the push form of tap to overcome the necessary friction of the packings when the pressure of the liquid might be very low or the supply-pipe empty has been in this instance placed Within the cataract-chamber A10.

1. The combination, in a tap-valve, of a main casing closed at one extremity and having external channels for the passage of the liquid from the supply to the outlet pipe, a spindle having a passage communicating with the supply-pipe and with the interior of the casing near the closed extremity, and a valve and a piston secured to said spindle, and said valve and piston having different areas with reference to each other, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, in a tap-valve, of a main casing closed at one extremity and having external channels for the passage of a liquid from the supply to the outlet pipe, a spindle having a passage communicating IOO II-O

with the supply-pipe and with the interior of l to each other, and said valve and piston secured to the respective extremities of said collar, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, in a tap-valve, of a main casing closed at one extremity and having external channels for the passage of a liquid from the supply t0 the outlet, a spindle having a passage communicating with the supply and with the interior of the casing near the closed extremity, and a valve and a piston secured to said spindle, and said valve having a larger area than said piston, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

`4. The combination, in a tap-valve, of a main casing closed at one end and enlarged between the Water-supply and outlet pipes in communication therewith, a collar, a valve located in the enlarged portion of said cas- 2o ing, a piston located near the closed eX- tremity thereof and having a smaller diameter than the valve, a spindle carryingsaid collar, and said spindle having a passage therein extending from the supply into the interior of said casing near the closed end thereof, and a spiral spring interposed between said Valve and casing, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. In testimony whereof we have hereto set our hands in the presence of the two subscribing witnesses.

- JAMES RIGG,

THOMAS MEACOCK.' Witnesses to the signature of James Rigg:

HARRY B. BRIDGE, RALPH MICKLE. Witnesses to the signature of Thomas Meacock:

W. H. HARRIS, FREDERICK BAXTER. 

